Toms River 'Field Of Dreams' Begins To Take Shape

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Christian Kane stood on the dirt under the pavilion, looking over the complex for the Toms River Field of Dreams.

"Looks different from the last time you saw it, doesn't it?" he said, a smile spreading across his face for the hundreth time as the progress — tangible progress — on the complex was unveiled to donors at a recent gathering at the complex on North Bay Avenue.

A large playground with swings and monkey bars and hills to climb. A miniature golf course. A basketball court. The framing of a snack stand and bathrooms and a pavilion for gatherings.

And, of course, the baseball field. A dream realized in a rubberized surface with base paths and a batter's box and pitcher's mound, where his son, Gavin, will be able to play baseball with his siblings and friends.

There is still work to be done. On this day, paths between the curbing around each element of the complex remain dirt. Supply chain delays have slowed some elements of the work, just as they have hundreds of construction projects in Ocean County. Bathroom fixtures need to be installed, landscaping needs to be completed.

"We still need an electric meter," Kane said. The goal is completion by the spring.

The work that remains does nothing to curb the enthusiasm of Kane and his wife, Mary. They have faced obstacle after obstacle in the creation of this complex that aims to bring those with special needs into the action, instead of watching from the sidelines. It is beyond anything they imagined when they first set out to create a baseball field and complex that included all children.

"This is a place for all kids to feel typical," Michael Ritacco Jr., chairman of the Toms River Field of Dreams board of directors, said to those assembled. "It is a place to feel included."

A dream out of a nightmare

Kane remembers the day Gavin's life, and those of the entire family, changed forever: July 12, 2012.

Kane was on Bey Lea Road, and Gavin, then 19 months old, was strapped in a car seat in the back seat of the family's minivan. Kane waiting to make the left turn into the rear entrance to Toms River High School North, where he is a math teacher.

As he waited to make the turn, a fully loaded beer truck slammed into the back of the minivan. Gavin suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was the only one seriously injured in the crash.

"I have lived with this accident and its results for nine years," Kane said, adding that while he drives by the accident site twice a day, he has never tried to make that left turn since the crash. "And I never will."

Among the effects are a deep pain that shows itself in the dark shadows under Kane's eyes, and reveals itself in the stories he tells as he gives a tour of the complex. Each element has a story, a story that speaks to the knowledge — good and bad — gained from raising a child who has special needs.

The baseball field, of course, is the centerpiece of those stories. It started with the Kanes seeing their older son playing baseball, and realizing it was an experience that was, at the time, completely out of reach for Gavin, because grass fields aren't equipped for wheelchairs.

But the name of the complex — Field of Dreams — wasn't by accident, or simply a cliche.

The Kevin Costner baseball movie of the same name, released in 1989 — "one day after my birthday," Kane said — is a metaphor for Kane's own experience. In the movie, Ray Kinsella is trying to ease a pain that he cannot pinpoint, and the baseball field he builds in a field in Iowa helps Kinsella define and ease the heartache.

For Kane, the heartache of wanting so much more for Gavin is clear. As dreams and sketches turn to basepaths and swings and mini golf, the heartache is beginning to ebb.

"You are at complex I needed to build to ease my pain," Kane said to the donors and supporters gathered. "My pain is starting to ease when I look around this complex that you have helped build. There is more to do, but soon we will have a field that makes dreams come true."

The stories within the story

From the start, the goal has been to create a place where families could spend time together. Not just a few minutes. Not just an hour. All day, if that's what they choose.

Accomplishing that has meant adding layers to the complex that only those who have struggled with the challenges of a child or family member with special needs face.

There's the quiet corner, still under construction. It was inspired by a conversation Christian Kane had with a mother of a child on the autism spectrum, who talked about having to leave an event or cut an outing short when her child became overwhelmed and began acting out.

The quiet corner will be a place for families like hers to go to help their child or adult calm down, without having to leave.

The swings on the playground are designed to accommodate a wide range of children who are not capable of riding a swing without support, and are easily accessible. They're there because of a situation where Mary couldn't get Gavin on a swing and no one would help her.

The restrooms, which are in the building that also will house the snack shack, will have eight stalls, two of which will have beds. Those beds are so someone changing the diaper of an older child or adult can do so in a sanitary manner. They are a response to Christian Kane's own experience, being faced with lying Gavin on the restroom floor at Yankee Stadium to change him, because the flipdown beds only accommodate very young children.

The goal is for families to be able to enjoy a day out without the obstacles they so often face for family members with special needs, Kane said, and for children with those needs and children who are typical to be able to play side by side.

"This is the vision of our back yard," Kane said, "where all of Gavin's friends come and it's inclusive."

Ritacco, who opened the event by thanking the lengthy list of naming rights sponsors who have contributed not only to the start-up but to the future maintenance needs of the complex, said the impact of the fundraising efforts has been remarkable.

"Christian and Mary figured out how to unite the community," he said, noting support has come from all corners since the effort began in 2017.

There were bagel sales and blue jeans days and bequests from people's estates.

Corporate sponsors kicked in hundreds of thousands of dollars, some in cash, some in tangible support such as clearing the land and hours upon hours of donated labor.

The Toms River Art Community donated murals that will line the edge of the complex next to the Bey Lea soccer fields, giving those walking the walking path something to look at.

Jackie and Todd Frazier funded a special needs baseball league that will play at the baseball field.

There was a situation where there was a funding shortfall of about $80,000, and Larry Hesse, owner of Hesse Construction, simply wrote a check to cover it.

Even the state of New Jersey kicked in $400,000, thanks to the effort of Councilman Terrance Turnbach, who worked with state legislators and Gov. Phil Murphy's office to secure the funding.

"You stepped up and said 'I'm all in' when all I had was a story," Kane said to the donors present at the tour. It's a lesson he hopes will carry on, well into the future.

"My hope is my students who have heard the story, that they will step up in the future to support a project like this in their communities," Kane said.

Ritacco said one of the lessons for everyone is perseverance.

"There's countless times Christian and Mary could have thrown in the towel," he said. "You worked tirelessly to make this happen."

Work remains, but it's no longer just a story or a vision. It's a dream come true, for the Kanes and for families all over.

For information on how you can contribute, visit the Toms River Field of Dreams website.

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